Matt Mitgang | Student Life

A bike sits covered in ice outside of South 40 House on Monday night after the first part of a large storm system passed through the St. Louis area. The University has closed on Feb. 1 in response to the weather.

All non-essential services on the Danforth, North, South, West and Tyson campuses will be suspended, including classes. Essential services, which include the Washington University Police Department, Dining Services and certain personnel in Facilities Planning and Management, will remain operational.

The dining facilities on the South 40 and in the Village will continue to operate on normal business hours. Eateries on the South 40 are open from 7:30 a.m to 2 a.m., and eateries in the Village are open from 8 a.m. until midnight.

All non-emergency appointments at Student Health Services have been canceled through Wednesday.

A scheduled interfaith discussion on Tuesday featuring Rabbi Steve Gutow and the Rev. Michael Kinnamon also has been canceled. No reschedule date has been announced for the event.

The Career Fair scheduled for Wednesday is also canceled. The Career Center is working on rescheduling options for employers.

As of 11 p.m. Monday forecasters are predicting up to one-tenth of an inch of ice accumulation in addition to 11 to 15 inches of snowfall for the St. Louis metro area through Tuesday night.

According to Leslie Heusted, director of the Danforth University Center, the DUC and Athletic Complex are prepared to house students living both on and off campus in the event of a power outage in a residential area. Both buildings are equipped with their own generators and would continue to have electrical power.

Heusted and a few employees from Facilities will spend the night in the DUC in case the building must be opened.

“We are here to make sure that the campus is safe for the folks that are living here,” Heusted said.

This is the first time that the University has closed for a full day because of weather since 1982 when a storm system blanketed St. Louis with 13 inches of snow.

The medical school remains open. Per University policy, individual employees must decide for themselves whether it’s safe to travel to and from work.

Departments that require a minimal level of staffing 24 hours a day will remain open or will close on a departmental basis.

A winter storm warning issued by the National Weather Service remains in effect for St. Louis city and St. Louis County until noon on Wednesday.

Gov. Jay Nixon has issued a state of emergency in Missouri and mobilized the Missouri National Guard, his office announced Monday afternoon.

Check studlife.com for regular updates as this story develops.

All non-essential services on the Danforth, North, South, West and Tyson campuses will be suspended, including classes. Essential services, which include the Washington University Police Department, Dining Services and certain personnel in Facilities Planning and Management, will remain operational.

All classes will be canceled starting at 4 p.m. The Activities Fair is also canceled and will be rescheduled at a later date.

This is the first time that the University has closed because of weather since 1982 when a storm system blanked St. Louis with 13 inches of snow.

The University also announced the cancellation of key events on campus. Monday’s scheduled lecture on religion and politics in America by Ray Suarez, correspondent for “The NewsHour” on PBS, was canceled. A scheduled interfaith discussion for Tuesday featuring Rabbi Steve Gutow and the Rev. Michael Kinnamon was also canceled. No reschedule dates have been announced for either event.

The medical school remains open. Per University policy, individual employees must decide for themselves whether it’s safe to travel to and from work.

Departments that require a minimal level of staffing 24 hours a day will remain open or will close on a departmental basis.

The closure is in response to the severe weather predicted for the St. Louis metro area. The latest forecasts predict anywhere from one-tenth of an inch to one half of an inch of ice through Tuesday morning and 3 to 12 inches of snow Monday night to Wednesday morning. High winds gusting up to 40 mph are also possible.

It is unclear whether the University will close any or all services on Tuesday. Closures will be announced on a daily basis on the University website and through the usual communication channels.

A winter storm warning issued by the National Weather Service remains in effect for St. Louis city and St. Louis County until noon on Wednesday.

Gov. Jay Nixon has issued a state of emergency in Missouri and mobilized the state National Guard, his office announced Monday afternoon.

Check studlife.com for regular updates as this story develops. Puneet Kollipara and Matt Mitgang contributed to this report.

Nathaniel Margolies

Students wait in line at Bear's Den on Thursday night. In a recent survey by SU, students expressed overall satisfaction in the new Bear's Den.

In a survey of 158 students, 58 percent of respondents said that the new Bear’s Den is better or “substantially better” than last year’s South 40 dining facilities. Only 3 percent said the new Bear’s Den is worse, while a third of respondents said they didn’t live on the South 40 last year.

The survey was used as an outlet for students to communicate with Dining Services about what they think of the new facilities. The mostly freshman and sophomore respondents had a chance to answer questions about their dining experience, as well as provide comments and suggestions for improvement.

Some major issues, such as line congestion, emerged in the survey results. Ninety-six percent of students said that congestion was at least somewhat of a problem, one that SU senators and Dining Services staff pledged to address. Not a single respondent indicated that congestion was not a problem at all.

The short survey, which was open Monday through Wednesday, asked students what their favorite stations are and which stations they think are the busiest.

While these statistics will help administrators improve Bear’s Den, the part of the survey that SU leaders say is the most important is an open-ended comments section in which students were able to share their personal experiences and insights.

“Almost every person that actually responded to the survey filled out the additional comments section, and a lot of these comments were really thought out, giving a lot of specific ways they thought Bear’s Den could be improved, and even providing innovative solutions for some of the problems they’re having,” said sophomore Mamatha Challa, speaker of the Senate.

The idea for the survey started this year when Challa and Senate Outreach Co-chairs, juniors Alex Cooper and Zach Schmitz, met to discuss topics that would be relevant to students. Cooper and Schmitz wrote the survey and worked with SU Vice President of Public Relations Cody Katz to distribute it electronically.

Ben Gottesdiener

Ciao Down, a station at the new Bear's Den, offers many different types of pizza including made-to-order.

The dialogue about the survey results opened up at the Senate meeting, as the student senators and administrators discussed some potential solutions.

“One thing that we talked a lot about was increasing the use of WebFood, which is going to be on the 40 soon. Hopefully that will limit some of the lines,” said Katz, a junior.

Survey comments also addressed the lack of garbage cans in the main dining area and the distance of the dish return room.

“That was something that we brought up to [Dining Services], and hopefully we can see an improvement on that,” Katz said. “It’s a quick fix.”

With the results of the survey now turned over to Dining Services, Katz and Challa say the Student Union will remain committed to the follow-up.

“We’ll continue communicating with [Dining Services] through the Campus Services Committee [of the Senate],” Challa said. “At this point, we’ve given Dining a lot of feedback, so our role is to make sure they’re taking that feedback in, and really working to improve the condition of dining on campus.”

The dining staff has already made several changes in response to student commentary, such as bringing back make-your-own pasta and returning turkey burgers and tater tots to the grill menu.

“We appreciated that Student Union did that survey so that we have some sense of… what’s working and what’s not working,” said Nadeem Siddiqui, resident district manager of Bon Appétit, the company that provides most of the food on campus. “As we went through, there were some really good suggestions. We go through each item with the senior team from the South 40 and review that with the chef to take a look at things that are possible to accomplish.”

According to Siddiqui, many of the issues students have faced in the new facilities have begun to work themselves out. He said that the new layout and system of Bear’s Den, which offers a wide array of options and concepts all under one roof, has taken a little getting used to for both students and staff. Siddiqui’s goal is to make the students feel comfortable and satisfied with their dining experience, and he is eager to learn from the students themselves how better to do that.

“As time goes on, I think we will keep finding the tweaks and changes and improvements, and we’re open to those ideas and suggestions,” Siddiqui said. “We’re open, we want to know.”

The health issues at the crux of the smoking ban cannot be denied. Research proves that second hand smoke can be responsible for cancer and cardiovascular disease. This year, a campus-wide smoking ban has been established, forcing smokers outside of campus whenever they need their nicotine fix. The ban has even been extended to our own cars!

However, as an exchange student from Europe, it seems peculiar to me that such a wide-open campus feels the need to send its smokers outside of campus boundaries. An indoor smoking ban is understandable, but with the winds blowing away most of the risks of second hand smoke, a campus-wide ban is an unnecessary and a

heavy-handed measure.

You cannot justify a campus-wide smoking ban by saying that you want to defend the innocent, upstanding non-smokers, because a reasonable compromise would be to have designated smoking areas that would enable smokers and non-smokers to coexist in harmony. It seems the real reason behind the ban is to pressure and stigmatize smokers, to push them away from the Wash. U. community. The pressure on freshmen to stop smoking will be overwhelming.

Those who defend the smoking ban reject any positive effect that tobacco may have. While it is seen as a drug in that it is addictive, it is not seen as having an effect on the nervous system. In other words, the cigarette has become a “death stick”, and its diverse properties have been reduced solely to the harm it causes to our health.

While this aspect of smoking is irrefutable, it completely leaves out the question of choice. This is further emphasized by the fact that the decision to smoke is seen only as the result of peer pressure and a will to look “cool.”

But tobacco is a nervous relaxant, a psychotropic drug. It was originally used by Indian shamans to reach a trance state. As such, it is odd that smoking is attracting such widespread disapproval at a time when the campaign for marijuana legislation is gaining weight. It’s almost as if people think it’s stupid to smoke a light drug and so had better go all out.

Many will no doubt argue that stopping smokers from harming their own health is a positive thing, a progressive crusade to find the new Holy Grail that is the totally sanitized world. Most people raised an incredulous eyebrow when they heard that the Canadian town of Halifax banned perfume on public buses, but the smoking ban is another step on the slippery slope towards total conformity. We live in a world where everything is dangerous and in which our lives must conform to the pre-approved path of our moral leaders. Don’t smoke, don’t have sex, drink only if you’re over 21—I like a world with asperities, and I want a world where people can have at least a semblance of freedom, where smokers don’t have to walk 15 minutes to their place of exile, rejected, unloved, unwanted.

So while enjoying your smoke-free campus, remember the cigarette wielder that you have ostracized.

The smoking ban will impove the quality of life for anyone on campus who has ever held their breath while walking through a cloud of smoke, had a coughing fit or an allergic reaction to tobacco. With the enforcement of the smoking ban, these people now will be able to enjoy campus without fear of health issues.

The ban was realized at a very logical time. With the recent implementation of health care reform backed by the Obama administration, Americans have become responsible for paying for the health care for all citizens. Therefore, all Americans are indirectly financially responsible when one is sick. This poses an issue for all citizens when someone becomes involved in destructive behavior,

such as smoking.

Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco found in a 2002 study that 3.8 percent of smokers quit smoking when their offices instituted smoke free policies at work. Employees who continued smoking smoked an average of 3.1 fewer cigarettes per day, creating a combined 29 percent relative reduction in tobacco use among all employees.

The scope of the University’s policy extends beyond the workplace and into dorms, creating an opportunity to replicate these positive results on a bigger scale. Every year in the United States alone, there are an estimated 46,000 deaths from heart disease in non-smokers who live with smokers. Eliminating smoking on campus can help keep non-smokers healthy. If Washington University can have that effect on such a large scale, they can drastically prevent long-term health problems for their students that all Americans would have to pay for.

So even though I can’t smoke on campus, Washington University is still a place brimming with opportunity and healthy lungs.

Before the new report was released, Wash.U. was ranked 12th, but in the newest report, it was moved to 13th. Northwestern University and the University of Chicago again placed just ahead of Wash.U., while Brown University, Cornell University and Rice University have repeatedly been placed just behind. Previously, Johns Hopkins University has placed behind, but is now tied with Wash.U.

U.S. News & World Report ranks colleges based on a variety of factors, including graduation rate, undergraduate academic reputation, freshman retention, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving rate. Having studied and taught at two of the top 10 schools according to this list, Wrighton feels that Wash.U. is among the best schools in the country.

“We have great faculty, great students and great facilities,” Wrighton said. “The rankings will be fine.”

Wrighton feels that students “fulfill interests that are related to their academic program but also to the community,” and is, in that manner, confident in students’ abilities. He believes that if students keep contributing to the community, Wash.U. will continue to be one of the world’s best universities.

Despite the drop, this year’s freshman class is larger than any previous incoming class, with approximately 1600 freshmen.

“We had more say yes to us than anticipated,” Wrighton said.

However, despite the notable increase, Wrighton is not concerned at the capacity of the facilities and resources. He doesn’t expect a major difference in the size of classes or on-campus activities, yet changes were made in order to facilitate these students. The city of Clayton has approved Wash.U.’s request to allow more students to live on the South 40, which was previously not legal.

Even though more freshmen are enrolled this year than ever before, the University has continued its commitment to socioeconomic diversity.

According to Wrighton, the University has been more “proactive in supporting students from different backgrounds,” and he continues to “make Wash. U. accessible and affordable to large community.” The University has been trying to tighten internal spending in order to provide more financial aid to students from underprivileged families.

In the past, the University would give loans to these families, but Wrighton recognizes that families with a combined yearly income of less than $60,000 cannot handle a loan of that sort. With its “Opening Doors to the Future: The Scholarship Initiative for Washington University,” scholarship program initiated last year, the University intends to provide scholarships, replacing loans. With the combination of smaller loans, scholarships and work/study programs, Wrighton hopes the University will see even more socioeconomic diversity, giving everyone the opportunity to attend Wash.U. regardless of background.

Wrighton expects this year’s freshman class “to be great.”

Neighborhood relations.

Last year, conflicts evolved between students living north of campus and their University City neighbors over a “zero tolerance” noise policy under which the University City Police Department issues a summons every time a police officer received a noise complaint. This summer, students have worked to make peace with their neighbors and reduce the number of citations and arrests, but the quarrel is by no means over. The role that the University will play in its resolution remains to be seen.

The environment.

Even as new LEED-certified buildings continue to be constructed, Wash. U.’s Board of Trustees contains leading executives from Peabody and Arch Coal, two major St. Louis-based players in coal production. This affiliation has proved to be a controversy among students, reaching a head last year when Student Union passed a resolution decrying the University’s leadership role in the Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization. As a leading research university, Wash. U.’s stance on the environment has the power to affect not only the University itself, but St. Louis, our nation and our world.

Student and faculty diversity on campus.

Last year, Student Union brought to bear several initiatives that aim to promote increased student and faculty diversity. U/FUSED, a new multi-campus group, aims to promote socioeconomic diversity. The Diversity Affairs Council (DAC) aspires to allow the student body better to react to issues of prejudice. These initiatives are still in developing stages, and their assessment of and impact on campus diversity will continue to evolve next year.

The undergraduate experience at Wash. U.

Though it is by nature and definition a research university, Wash. U. devotes vast quantities of resources to improving the four-year experience for its undergraduates. With the construction of College Hall, the Residential College system may become a more fundamental aspect of campus life—and the ways in which the undergraduate community relates to the intellectual community of our faculty will continue to evolve.

Washington University in St. Louis?

This spring, a tobacco ban will take effect for both St. Louis City and St. Louis County, following already-enacted bans on Wash. U.’s campus and in the nearby suburb of Clayton. The ways in which students react to the campus tobacco ban will continue to develop, but perhaps more interestingly, Wash. U.’s influence on the community tobacco ban was large, representing a public health initiative driven by our medical school. Other agendas such as public transportation have been heavily promoted by the administration, and we have no doubt that Wash. U. will continue to interact politically with the St. Louis community next year.

Such an organization would tackle both the issues of publicizing attractions and activities, and of easing the logistics, allowing students to enjoy them. An example of a service the organization might provide is an informational service, perhaps in the form of a magazine or e-mail list, detailing places to go, things to do, and how to do them. In addition to providing information, the organization could help lower the organizational and financial difficulties of certain activities. Basically by buying in bulk and through subsidization, the organization could offer discounts on everything from Cardinals and Blues tickets, to attraction and museum entry fees, to contracting with a taxi company for discounts or subsidized rides.

While this organization would do work that is currently done in bits and pieces by the intricate blend of student activities, clubs, and Student Union structure at Wash. U., there would be advantages to centralization. The first advantage is the one mentioned above, the ability to buy in bulk and save money. Another advantage would be the ease with which students could use the resource. Instead of keeping tabs on an enormous number of clubs and class council events and opportunities, students could instead enjoy a one-stop shop for St. Louis fun. Imagine walking into an office on campus and 10 minutes later walking out with a dinner recommendation, low-priced tickets to a Cardinals game, and discounted passes to a nightclub after the game. I would certainly visit that office almost every weekend.

Now comes the question of how this organization could come into existence. There are several ways that I could see this happening. The first, and probably best, option would be for SU to sponsor the creation of such an office. SU has the necessary funding and know-how to promote such a program. Another option would be for Wash. U. to set up an official program that would accomplish the goals that I have laid out. A final option would be a student-run business through the Student Entrepreneurial Program (STEP) similar to Wydown Water and UTrucking. While such a business would be unlikely to subsidize student’s St. Louis adventures, it could still provide a number of services useful to students and could earn a profit at the same time. I hope the people involved in these organizations take the time to think about how valuable such a program could be to the Wash. U. community, and consider taking steps toward starting one.

Andrew is a sophomore in Engineering. He can be reached via e-mail at ayg1@cec.wustl.edu.

Security in the area has been increased, but police have not yet been able to identify any suspects.

The Ph.D. student in Arts & Sciences from New Delhi, India  is still in critical condition and has been unable to speak with police and provide a description of her attacker, according to Capt. Michael Ransom of the University City Police Department.

Ransom did not provide details, but said that the police are currently working on some leads.

The student was found beaten in her apartment building at around 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 21.

According to a University press release, a Quadrangle employee doing maintenance discovered the victim, a tenant in the building, who was then taken to a hospital where she is currently reported to be in critical condition.

The building, located on the 700 block of Syracuse Avenue in University City, is owned by Quadrangle Housing, a University affiliate that owns and manages off-campus apartments for Washington University students and faculty.

The University City Police Department found no sign of forced entry into the building.

Don Strom, chief of the Washington University Police Department, sent out a crime alert to members of the off-campus community. The alert stated that the assault is believed to have occurred on Sunday, Dec. 20.

A subsequent e-mail was sent to the entire University community alerting members of this crime, which occurred one block north of the Delmar Loop.

The e-mail said that the University is offering counseling and support to other residents in the building and has also offered to help students move to another location if they feel unsafe in the area.

University City police and Washington University police are increasing security patrols in the area.

“U-City upped the amount of security in the area last night and today. The University communicated earlier in the day to students living off campus and the police contacted people who live in that building and that area,” said Steve Givens,  associate vice chancellor for public affairs. “We’ve been in direct contact with the students off campus and have posted information on doors.”

The University City Police Department is handling the investigation of this crime.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the University City Police Department at 314-725-2211 or Crime Stoppers at 866-371-TIPS.

Check back  for more information as this story develops.

Effective this past Monday, Bon Appétit—the subcontractor that provides catering for Dining Services—no longer serves tomato slices or wedges on campus.

This decision stems from an agreement that Bon Appétit Management Company signed with The Coalition of Immokalee Works (CIW), an organization that represents thousands of workers who pick tomatoes in Florida.

In an effort to improve the workers’ wages and working conditions, the agreement establishes a code of conduct for tomato growers in Florida that calls for higher safety standards and requires workers to be paid a fair minimum wage.

The agreement also requires that an independent monitor enforce the code.

Bon Appétit will serve tomatoes only from growers that agree to abide by the specifications of the agreement.

Alderman Farms, a commercial tomato grower in Boynton Beach, Fla., was the first company to sign on and agree to the standards outlined by the agreement.

Since the company grows primarily grape tomatoes, Wash. U. will not be serving tomatoes of other varieties.

“We are doing this for justice of the farm workers, and we believe that our students will be very supportive, because that’s the nature of the students here at Washington University,” said Jill Duncan, director of marketing and communications for Bon Appétit Management Company. “We are excited about it, and we hope that our students are as well.”

The current average wage for tomato farm workers is about 45 cents for every 32 pounds of tomatoes picked, according to Marc Rodrigues, an organizer for the Student Farmers Association.

In order to earn a Florida minimum wage for a 10-hour day, a farm worker would have to pick 2.5 tons of tomatoes.

Rodrigues said that Bon Appétit’s decision to terminate its relationship with farms with sub-par working conditions is a significant move.
The Bon Appétit Management Company has more than 400 venue locations in 29 states.

“People often don’t think about where their foods come from or under what conditions they are produced,” Rodrigues said. “[What] Bon Appétit is doing is raising awareness of this issue and I think that’s a huge step.”

Rodrigues said that the Student Farmers Association, which works closely with the CIW, is trying to get other campus food providers to sign the agreement.

Aramark—the food provider for the medical and law schools—has not signed the agreement.

“We are going to put pressure on Aramark and make sure they do the right thing, ” Rodrigues said.

This decision is coming to the forefront now because Bon Appétit purchases tomatoes from Florida during the winter season.

The company purchases tomatoes locally when possible, according to Duncan.

Junior Jessica Goldkind, co-president of Students for Fair Trade, said that she believes students will react positively to the change since they will still be able to get tomato sauces and grape tomatoes.

“I personally really support this decision that Bon Appétit has made,” Goldkind said. “We are always pleased that we don’t have to do a lot of protesting and work to get Bon Appétit to make the right decisions.”